NEWS & OFFERS: Virgin Atlantic up to 70% points bonus, BA status extensions and Etihad new business class Armani design

Etihad introduces Armani designed business class amenities

Etihad Airways, in partnership with Armani/Casa, has today announced a new collaboration for a more premium travel experience for its customers. Etihad did have troubles before the pandemic due to a series of bad investments in other airlines, which led to some cutbacks in business class. It is good to see that Etihad are really starting to invest in their business class product again, as I have always been a big fan of Etihad. Recently they have invested in a new business class suite on their A350, and the reviews coming in have been positive. All their aircraft offer direct aisle access flat bed seats. 

Launching onboard in December 2022, the new onboard products were exclusively designed with celebrated designer Giorgio Armani.

The Etihad and Armani/Casa collaboration introduces ‘The Constellation Collection’, inspired by the stars. Etihad are calling their new business class experience ‘beyond Business’.

The collection includes a new dining service featuring ceramics, glassware, cutlery and serving ware, as well as premium textiles.

Tony Douglas, who is Group Chief Executive Officer, Etihad (but has apparently may be leaving) said: “Today we unveil a completely new and elevated way to fly with Etihad Airways—an experience defined by our Emirati heritage yet shaped by a clear vision for our future. Known globally for its Italian luxury and elegance, Armani/Casa is the ideal brand partner to create an unparalleled level of bespoke service and refinement for our guests.”

The dining service colour palette reflects the surroundings of Abu Dhabi; dark green inspired by the region’s date palm trees, aquamarine representing the mangroves and slate to symbolise the modernity of the Abu Dhabi skyline.

The collection is designed in line with the airline’s commitment to sustainability. Durable, high-quality material and innovative designs have reduced equipment weight by up to 10%, resulting in less fuel burn and fewer emissions.

There will be a matching pillowcase and duvet set featuring Armani/Casa signature designs to further enhance the Business class turn-down experience. Guests on longer flights will also benefit from the airline’s new memory foam mattress, providing additional comfort to the fully-flat bed in Business.

To find out more visit: etihad.com/BeyondBusiness

Virgin Atlantic up to 70% points bonus

From today (Wednesday 19 October) until Friday 18 November, Flying Club members will be able to earn a bonus of up to 70% when buying Virgin Points. 

Flying Club Gold or Silver Tier members, have the chance to boost their points balance by up to 70%, whilst all other members can boost their balance by bonus of up to 60%.

This is a fairly standard bonus for Virgin, so as usual I would not advise rushing out to buy them on speculation. Due to high prices than general for air fares it can make more sense to buy points for a flight at the moment than normal. Reward flights obviously offer more flexibility than a cheap cash ticket, and with Virgin you also get tier points on Reward Flights. However, you do need to take into account the cost of the taxes and charges, which can be over £800 per person for Upper Class. 

The Virgin Points purchase cap has also been raised, so Flying Club members can now purchase up to 200,000 more points this year.

Virgin Atlantic Flying Club Gold and Silver Tier members can earn up to 70% bonus when making a purchase: 

• 5k – 24k = 20% bonus 
• 25k – 69k = 30% bonus 
• 70k -119k = 50% bonus 
• 120k -200k = 70% bonus 

All other members can earn up to up 60% bonus points when making a purchase: 

• 5k – 24k = 15% bonus 
• 25k – 69k = 20% bonus 
• 70k – 119k = 40% bonus 
• 120k – 200k = 60% bonus 

If we take New York as an example, it costs £1050 to get 70,000 + 35,000 bonus points (50%). The taxes and charges would cost £966 on Virgin but only £766 on Delta. Assuming worse case scenario and you chose Virgin the price would be a total of £2015 to buy the points and use them. Prices for cash tickets on the route vary wildly between £1550 and £7500. So it all depends on the dates you want to travel. 

You can buy points via the Virgin Atlantic website here. 

British Airways confirms the end of extensions and tier point reductions

British Airways has been contacting some members to confirm that there will be no further extension to Executive Club status and that full tier points will need to be gained from 31 December 2022 onwards. There is still an opportunity to use the reduced tier point threshold if you can manage to gain 75% of the required tier points for your current year by this point. 

Some people had wondered if BA would extend status or tier point reductions again since there had been so many cancellations over the summer due to the chaos at Heathrow. Personally, I think they have made the right decision. While people may face the odd cancellation now, it should not be enough to stop anyone being able to fly in a fairly normal manner. There will always be a few people that used to fly frequently to places that have not reopened properly like China or Hong Kong that will be disadvantaged, but with lounges being very full currently, I think the end needed to come by the end of the year. 

Tier Point threshold reduction until 31 December 2022

• Bronze: 225 Tier Points or 18 eligible flights
• Silver: 450 Tier Points or 37 eligible flights
• Gold: 1125 Tier Points

From 1 January 2023, these thresholds will revert to:

• Bronze: 300 Tier Points or 25 eligible flights

• Silver: 600 Tier Points or 50 eligible flights

• Gold: 1500 Tier Points

There is also an interesting message on ba.com so check back on TLFL tomorrow to find out what the deal is!